HRSC Grass Corner #10
August 16, 2023
The Summertime at HRSC is peak growing season for our 24 Bermuda Grass fields. Our grounds crew are busy spraying, top dressing, and watering to get ready for the Fall season. A broad application of Katana was applied to kill pesky weeds that develop during the summer. All fields are mowed with a Toro 4700 rotary mower at 1.25 inches.
Along with these actions, it is just as important to rest our fields and limit play during the growing season and beyond. We close down 2-3 fields for 2 weeks so that we can aerify, (poke holes in the ground with a very big machine) which gives the plant more oxygen and promotes growth. This process is rough on the field, which is why we close them for a full 2 week period. Even after this maintenance has been done to all of our fields, we still rest certain fields each week so that they can recover from week long practice and weekend games.
Our facility is being used more and more each year, so we have upgraded our irrigation system to keep up with all of the added use. HRSC had the Weather Trak ET Pro3 irrigation system by Hydro Point installed earlier this month by Smith Turf and Irrigation. This system uses weather predictive data (such as rainfall, soil moisture, and sun exposure) to optimize watering for all of our fields. This technology is how HRSC is staying ahead of the wear and tear or normal field use.
Our newest renovated field (#18) was sprigged by Riverside Turf in early July with Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass. Highly cold tolerant, the name Tahoma comes from the native word for “frozen water”. This type of grass has shown to live up to it’s name in the transition zone of Virginia.
Archives
- Grass Corner Article 1– Grass fields closed for winter/ Facility upgrades
- Grass Corner Article 2– Field care post winter season
- Grass Corner Article 3– Introducing field hockey and kickball/ Shifting fields
- Grass Corner Article 4– Working through COVID
- Grass Corner Article 5– NASSC 2020 cancelled/ Reintroducing events
- Grass Corner Article 6– Adjusting with the weather
- Grass Corner Article 7– Turftank and Overseeding
- Grass Corner Article 8 – Grass Quality and Health
- Grass Corner Article 9 – Top Dressing and Irrigation